


Toxicity

by SaliAnon



Series: Inhabitants of the Schueller Apartment Complex [1]
Category: The Borrowers - All Media Types, Venom (Comics)
Genre: I don't know how tags work, I put all canon in a blender and made a smoothie where Eddie and V are happy together, I refer to the Venom symbiote as V, I'm Bad At Tagging, I'm sorry guys this is weird shit, Other, Sorry Not Sorry, V will eat a bitch over their chocolate, Vore, gender neutral venom, it starts out scary but ends up okay, they're an alien Karen they don't ascribe to conventional human gender norms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-12
Updated: 2018-10-12
Packaged: 2019-07-29 20:19:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16271615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaliAnon/pseuds/SaliAnon
Summary: Ria had heard things from the humans that used to live on her floor.The single occupied apartment on the top floor had been the newest arrival, but everyone else left in a matter of months. They spoke in hushed whispers of strange sounds, voices when only one person was ever seen there. Thumping and banging in the night, sometimes accompanied by unearthly growls. A demon, some said, or a monster.Ria hadn't ever seen the creature, though.But that was about to change.





	Toxicity

Ria had heard things from the humans that used to live on her floor.

 

The single occupied apartment on the top floor had been the newest arrival, but everyone else left in a matter of months. They spoke in hushed whispers of strange sounds, voices when only one person was ever seen there. Thumping and banging in the night, sometimes accompanied by unearthly growls. A demon, some said, or a monster.

 

Ria hadn't ever seen the creature, though—she'd been watching the apartment for a few weeks from the safety of the air vents, and the only inhabitant she'd encountered was just a man. Different than the others who lived in the building, but definitely not a monster. Actually, he seemed kind of lonely, he talked to himself a lot.

 

She would have felt bad for him, if he wasn't a  _ human _ . Borrowers had a complicated relationship with humans. They lived in their buildings and survived off of their scraps, but if they were seen it could spell death for their kind.

 

The apartment was silent and, as far as she could tell, empty. Which was strange for the late hour, but also meant it was the perfect time to go out, especially since she had no other choice. There was nothing left in the empty apartments, so she would have to risk the monster.

 

Ria carefully hooked the bent paperclip she carried over one of the bars of the vent’s grate, tossing the length of floss tied to it down into the room. After another careful look around the room, she stepped through the vent and began to shimmy down her line towards the counter below. The distance melted away quickly, years of practice making it child's play to scale the relative height of a skyscraper.

 

With an inaudible thump she dropped down onto the counter, flicking her floss in a practiced move that loosed the paperclip from its perch, dropping down to land with a tiny plink. Ria froze, wide eyes quickly surveying the room once more, pointed ears twitching as she listened intently. But she didn't see anything, so she quickly turned to coiling the floss up and returning the whole assembly to its place on her belt.

 

Silently she crept along the counter, her rat-skin boots not making a single sound as she walked. Her heart was pounding against her ribs—the whispered warnings about the monster in the apartment made her jumpy, every little sound, every shadow sending adrenaline coursing through qher veins. She collected the various crumbs and bits of food she encountered in her path, carefully tucking them away into her bag that all borrowers carried. It was a necessity, just as her climbing hook and floss was. Perhaps even more so.

 

A sweet smell interrupted her cautious trek as she paused, sniffing the air curiously. She'd smelled that before, but couldn't put a name to it until she peeked out from behind the toaster.

 

There was an open box of chocolates sitting on the counter, a treat she'd very rarely had the opportunity to have. A few of them were already missing—surely no one would notice a single candy's disappearance, right?

 

Being out in the open made her skin prickle uncomfortably, all her instincts warning her to get back under cover. It wasn't safe to be out on the counter like this—just turning on the light in the room would allow someone to see her, and the nearest cover was almost half a foot away. More than double her own height.

 

But she was determined to bring home one of the chocolates. Sweets were an impossible luxury for borrowers, and chocolate was Peek's favorite thing. She  _ had _ to get one.

 

Ria’s hands shook slightly as she tiptoed to the box, constantly looking around the kitchen to be certain she wasn't about to be seen as she approached. The sweet smell made her mouth water, stomach rumbling quietly as she climbed up onto the plastic tray. It barely moved under her slight weight—good, she knew these things could be loud when moved.

 

Her eye was set on one of the smaller treats, but even so it was almost as big as her torso. It would be awkward to carry, and there was no way she could climb back up to the vent with it. She'd have to escape through another exit. Every apartment had multiple entrances for them, hidden well behind appliances and inside cabinets. There was one by the outlet behind the fridge—it would be a bit of a walk, but she could manage it.

 

Escape plan laid out, she smiled and turned to the next big task: getting the chocolate out of the box quickly and quietly. She stepped towards it, studying the shaped hole in the plastic that it rested in for a few moments. Well, looks like she was going to have to work for it.

 

It had been almost five minutes, and all she’d accomplished was getting melted chocolate all over her front. The way the tray was made meant it was almost impossible for her to pull the chocolate out, but she wasn’t giving up just yet. She turned, taking her climbing hook from her belt and tossing it up to catch on one of the cabinet handles above her. A few sharp tugs to be sure it was firmly in place, and then she twisted her tail around the floss tightly. Now she could lean out over the treat without worrying about falling.

 

She was so focused on her task that she didn’t hear the sound of a window sliding shut.

 

Ria had just managed to pry it out from its place when suddenly the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, heart pounding as she suddenly had the horrible sinking feeling that something was watching her. She froze, closing her eyes tight and hardly daring to breathe as the feeling grew stronger, until it was almost unbearable. If she stayed still enough, though, maybe she could escape notice—humans didn’t have the best night vision, after all.

 

**_“It’sss rude to take someone else’s thingsss without asking…”_ ** A low growling voice hissed, and Ria’s heart just about leapt out of her chest. Every part of her wanted to run, but she knew that she couldn’t even outrun a human--and there was absolutely no doubt in her mind that the source of the sybilant whisper was  _ far _ from human. She was trapped.

 

With a quiet click light flooded the room and she flinched, ducking away as if she could escape the light. But there was nowhere to hide.

 

The brightness of the room hurt her eyes, so used to the dim confines of the apartment building's walls that she was forced to squint in order to see.

 

But maybe not seeing wasn't so bad. Her first impression of the creature that had discovered her was  _ teeth,  _ rows and rows of needle-sharp points longer than her arm stretched into an impossibly wide, macabre grin. Its eyes were pure white, standing out in sharp contrast against the inky darkness of its skin. 

 

A whimper rose up from Ria's chest, but she could only manage a strangled squeak past the choking lump of terror in her throat. Every part of her was screaming to run but she couldn't move a muscle, frozen in the monster's predatory gaze.

 

_ This was a bad idea. _

 

**_“So, what are we going to do with thisss little thief…”_ ** The creature mused, pale eyes narrowing in thought, before its grin widened, if possible.  **_“Oh yesss, we will have to punish stealing little morselssss.”_ **

 

Ria only registered a flash of movement before she was lifted off the counter by a massive clawed hand pinching at the back of her shirt. Her grip tightened around the chocolate she'd grabbed as everything else solid was whisked away in an instant, the ground disappearing below her at an alarming rate. But at least that was nicer to focus on than the nightmare given form currently in front of her.

 

As such, she didn't see the other hand approaching until it deftly plucked the candy out of her arms, just barely brushing the side of her face with the cool surface of a talon. A wordless protest escaped her as she grasped hopelessly at the last semblance of stability she had, but there wasn't much heart in it. She could only watch in horrified fascination as her prize vanished into the beast's gaping maw, whisked from sight by a long, dextrous tongue that appeared from behind that deadly grin and vanished just as quickly.

 

A wholly new kind of fear settled in her bones at the sight. A human might trap her, or crush her, or study her, but this  _ thing _ ? It could very well decide to  **eat** her. And there would be nothing she could do to stop it. She would just disappear, no one would know what happened to her. Peek would probably be the only one to notice.

 

It wasn't an uncommon occurrence, unfortunately. Borrowers would go out and never return, and after a while no one expected them to. Everyone knew borrowing was dangerous, but it was also necessary for survival.

 

She didn't realize she was shaking until she grabbed onto her bag's strap, taking a small measure of comfort in the assurance that she still had  _ something _ , even without her hook. It was back on the counter, but it might as well be across the complex—it was impossible to reach. Not that it would do much good anyway.

 

**_“How considerate—chocolate is our favorite, especially for bite-sized treatsss.”_ **

 

The borrower girl flinched at the words, eyes squeezed shut as a pathetic whimper squeezed its way out of her lungs. Terror didn't even  _ begin _ to cover it—she was gripped with a primal, instinctual fear that forced out all rational thought and left only the need to flee. Unfortunately,  _ that _ ship had sailed.

 

Something warm pressed against her cheek and she gasped, cringing away as much as she could. Now her face felt cold, though—one hand wiped at the spot and came away covered in a greenish slime.

 

_ Oh _ .

 

A bitter, acrid taste rose in the back of her throat, lungs constricting as a burst of nauseated panic exploded in her brain. Something was wrong with her vision, too, everything was going dark and fuzzy at the edges and her limbs wouldn't move. A dull roaring filled her ears, but she had no clue where it could be coming from, too focused on trying to breathe as her heart pounded wildly, almost painful in its frenzy. She felt a vague sense of movement, but it was buried under the mountain of other senses currently bombarding her brain.

 

Her terrified haze lasted for what felt like an eternity, before she was abruptly jarred back to reality—quite literally, as she was now crumpled on a solid surface. Or at least,  _ mostly _ solid; she manages to raise herself on trembling arms to see that she’d been dropped onto the monster's chest, in full view of that horrible pale stare. She didn't meet it.

 

Beneath her hands she could feel the creature's heartbeat, and the steady movement of its breathing gave her a strange sense of vertigo. The buzzing in her ears finally faded, only to be replaced with a deep rumbling from below, so powerful she could feel it.

 

Ria wanted to cry, to scream, plead for mercy from this unearthly  _ thing _ that had captured her, but like always her voice failed her. The only sounds she could manage were breathless whimpers and whines. What were the chances of it listening to her anyway?

 

**_“Such a strange, pathetic, helplessss little treat. All our prey begsss for their life, except thisss tiny stealing nibble.”_ **

 

That voice was even worse up close. It was almost like a physical presence, pressing down on her and turning her limbs to jelly while forcing the air from her lungs. She hates it. She's never hated anything before, not really, but she hates the sound and how completely helpless she is and how insignificant it makes her feel.

 

Silent sobs wrack her a miniscule frame, tears blurring her vision and streaking down her cheeks in a useless display of emotion. She should have listened, she should have been more careful, she should never have come here, but they're nothing but regrets scattered in the wind.

 

There's no point in resisting; when a lethal talon hooks under her bag strap and lifts it away she barely flinches. Losing her bag had an odd sense of finality to it, with one single motion she'd been stripped of any defense she might have had. Not that a broken razor blade would have done much—she knows that now. Nothing she could do would ever come close to stopping even a human.

 

She doesn't push back when another curved claw nudges her forward, its wicked tip lightly grazing her back with the movement. It sends a shiver down her spine, a brief image of herself skewered on that point flashing in her brain.

 

**_“What a sweet little morsel,”_ ** the beast purred, tracing a claw against her cheek with a startling gentleness. She shivered, eyes tightly shut and hands balled up to hide the shaking.  **_“We can almost taste the fear.”_ **

 

Ria turned her face away, trembling as it licked her again—slowly, as if savoring her taste. It seemed especially interested in the chocolate that had melted onto her clothes, returning to the spot until nothing remained. And then finally, mercifully, it stopped. A quiet gasp escaped her, now shivering from more than just fear. Her whole front was covered in saliva, and the air seemed to be pulling away any warmth in her body.

 

**_“Deliciousss.”_ ** The monster rumbled, before coiling its tongue around her and pulling her into its maw.

 

For a brief few seconds she was stunned, struggling to comprehend the abrupt change from light to dark, but by then she was trapped. Suddenly something snapped, and the odd sense of detachment she'd been feeling vanished in an instant. It had been like she was merely watching things happen, but now it was fully real—and she was terrified. Terrified, and stuck between a slow, painful death and a quick, bloody one.

 

Ria struggled, kicking and scrambling for purchase even as her chest seized again, terror crushing her lungs and heart in its cruel inexorable grip. Even borrowers couldn't see in the pitch black that surrounded her, leaving her absolutely blind for the first time. The hot wet air pressed in on her, claustrophobic and oppressive in its pervasion. Almost like trying to breathe underwater, the gasps of air she managed seeming to do nothing against the burning void under her ribs.

 

Her slimy surroundings pressed in against her, as if to crush the life out of her and her struggles were restrained, arms pinned against her in an uncomfortable position. The buzzing in her ears grew into a roar, before fading out.

 

All she could hear was a heartbeat coming from somewhere above and behind her, and a constant rumble that had no discernable source. It sounded like the old lady on the third floor's cat, almost—a nightmarish distortion of a contented purr.

 

In the little amount of space she had she curled up tight, wrapping her arms around her legs and retreating into a tiny shivering ball. There wasn't any more use in fighting, she was as good as dead. The only one who would miss her or even notice her absence was a mouse, who could never be able to do anything about it or tell anyone. She would be gone, and it wouldn't matter.  _ She _ didn't matter.

 

_ “I'm sorry.” _ She whispered, silent tears streaking through the slime on her face. A shiver wracked through her and she pulled her legs tighter to her chest as she cried.  _ “I'm sorry, I-” _

 

The buzzing returned, this time settling over all her senses until she couldn't feel anything at all. Nothing but blackness.

 

* * *

 

 

They never thought of themself as cruel. Really, they didn't think about themself much at all—solitude was unnatural, it ached like a physical wound in their being. They didn't have a name, either—not until recently. The concept of self was something they recognized, but it didn't apply to them or their kind. They existed for a union, were meant to be bonded to another.

 

Eddie had named them—it was strange, for a while, to have a certain sound that referred to them and them alone. He called them V. He called them lots of things, as well, but V was just for them.

 

Sometimes he said they were  _ petty _ , or  _ irritable _ , and maybe those words did apply but he never called them  _ cruel _ . Cruel was  _ bad _ , cruel was the  _ bad place _ with the  _ bad people _ and nothing but hurt and wrongness and weak, fragile hosts. The bad place was where they had found Eddie, but Eddie was hurt there too and so they destroyed the bad place together, tore it to pieces along with the bad people inside.

 

Whenever they returned to the nest after stopping bad people, they were always hungry. Eddie didn't let them hunt for food, even though they only hunted bad people. But Eddie was good, and they wanted to be good, so they listened and then Eddie would get them food and they were happy. Chocolate was their favorite.

 

So when they found a little not-human thing stealing their chocolate, they were more than a little upset. Stealing was bad, but they were also curious about this little thing, and besides—a hunt wasn't much fun with prey so tiny and helpless. They would just hold onto the little thing for a bit, until they weren't as hungry.

 

Eddie was curious too, they could feel his mind bubbling with questions about the little thing. Maybe he would let them keep it, if it was interesting enough.

 

The little thing was scared of them, even when they weren't going to hurt it. Nothing they did made it not scared, and that was confusing. But they would think about that later.

 

_ Maybe you should let me do the talking, dear _ . 

 

They hummed quietly, before replying.

 

**Why? Can talk fine, Eddie, is the little thing that isn't talking.**

 

_ She's probably scared. Most things are scared of something bigger than them, because usually it'll try to eat them. _

 

They didn't miss the subtle reprimand, even if they didn't understand exactly why.

 

**Not** **_eating_ ** **, Eddie. Just holding. Like pockets!**

 

His sigh was just as noticeable as always. They didn't like that sigh, usually it meant they did something wrong.

 

_ Earth life doesn't have inside pockets, love. She's probably terrified out of her mind. _

 

They were quiet for a few moments, their thoughts bubbling with a mix of confusion and annoyance.

 

**Not going to hurt, no reason for being scared. Earth life confusing. Inefficient. Poor design, want to speak to the manager.**

 

Eddie laughed at that, and their grumbling faded as they retreated to sulk, still muttering about the inefficiencies of evolution on this planet in the back of his mind. For the most part.

 

“Not sure if we can find the manager, love.” He murmured, before his full attention settled on the tiny creature now curled on his chest.

 

**Very small, Eddie. What is it? Never seen anything like it.**

 

“I don't know for sure, but there are some books about little people in the walls. Maybe those weren't as fictional as I thought.”

 

**Clearly.**

 

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a thin tendril reach out, retrieving another chocolate before vanishing. At least until their curiosity bubbled over again, and they carefully extended a limb to prod at the tiny girl.

 

“Leave her be, love. She'll wake up eventually, just let her rest.”

 

**Want little thing to wake up now. Have questions.**

 

“I know, so do I. Be patient.”

 

**Don't like waiting. Boring, want to do things.**

 

He reaches over to the table, grabbing the television remote and holding it in the air until they took it from him, manifesting from his shoulder and turning the TV to one of their nature channels.

 

“Just keep the volume down, okay? It's late.”

 

**Yes, Eddie. Will be quiet.**

 

When he grabbed the remote, he noticed something out of place on the table near it. A miniature satchel, at the same tiny scale as their unexpected guest. Well, since he couldn't ask her, looking at the bag might help answer some questions.

 

It was so small that he couldn't even see the stitching that held it together, panels of study fabric just seeming to merge into each other. The same dull greyish color as the clothes its owner wore, but whether that was the fabric or just ground in dust he couldn't tell. Maybe a little of both.

 

Pushing open the flap, he peered inside, finding an eclectic collection of items inside. A little knife made of what appeared to be a broken razor blade—although it wouldn't do any lasting damage, he was glad she didn't get the chance to use it on them—, a paperclip, a bent wire earring, and a handful of crumbs. Rice, bits of bread, broken off corners of crackers; nothing that seemed very filling. At that point he felt a sinking feeling as some of the pieces began to click.

 

**Little nibble is awake, Eddie.**

 

* * *

 

 

She was cold.

 

Her bed was rarely ever this cold; her mountain of blankets did much to chase away the frosty air, and Peek would usually snuggle up with her to ensure they were both cozy warm. But she was  _ freezing _ , arms and legs tucked up tight close to her chest. And she'd had such a frightening dream too. Monsters with too many teeth, darkness come alive and looking like a nightmare. How strange.

 

The tinny voices that came from a TV were chattering in the background, but they didn't seem muffled like they normally did when heard from her home. Every muscle tensed abruptly as the hair on the back of her neck stood on end, her senses screaming at her that she was in danger.

 

Slowly, she opened her eyes to look around. It was bright, far brighter than her hideaway in the walls should be—so bright it hurt her eyes at first, forcing her to close them again until they adjusted.

 

When she opened her eyes again her vision was taken up by a pair of blank white eyes, and she screamed. Bolting upright, she scrambled back until she hit an obstacle behind her. Only taking her eyes off the monster for a second, she realized that she was now stuck between two hard spots; in front was the creature everyone whispered about, and behind was a human's hand. Nowhere for her to run, nowhere to hide.

 

**“Please don't scream, not nice. Don't like loud noises.”** The dark creature spoke, but it didn't sound anything like her nightmare—it sounded almost childish, a quiet, slightly raspy whisper that was sharply at odds with the mouth full of teeth she remembered.

 

“We're not gonna hurt you, kid. Or—are you a kid? Sorry, um, sorry about scarin’ ya.”

 

That was a human voice, and her attention snapped up towards where it had come from. It was the lonely man, looking at her with a little smile. She gulped, feeling the familiar tightness in her throat that always showed up when she was scared.

 

“I- I'm…” She whispered, barely even audible to herself. Her gaze dropped to her hands, shaking with the fear coursing through her.

 

**“Little nibble?”**

 

The whisper made her flinch, looking back to the monster—although that didn't seem as accurate as description now, it was only about her size with big white eyes the only easily distinguishable feature. It looked kind of like the snakes she'd glimpsed on some of the tenants’ TVs a few times.

 

“P-please- please don't- don't call me that.” Ria managed to force out, just slightly louder than her previous attempt. She curled her hands tightly, flinching at nothing as her heart thumped loud against her ribs. What if she'd made it mad, what if it tried to hurt her again-

 

“Um, sorry to break in, but, uh. What  _ is  _ your name? And, no offense, but- why were you in our apartment?”

 

The man sounded almost as uncertain as she did, but it wasn't like he had any reason to be scared like she was—she didn't even have-

 

“My bag!” The girl cried, seeing her well-worn satchel dangling from his fingers. She reached towards it without thinking, but then recoiled back into her defensive huddle just as quickly with a glance at the snake-monster.

 

“Oh! Oh yeah, um, here-” He reached out to hand it to her but stopped, gaze shifting from her to the bag slowly before curling his hand around it again. “Actually, uh, hold on a bit. Love, if you don't mind?”

 

Ria only had a moment of distress and confusion before she was gently knocked back, now cupped in the man's hand with the dark shape of the monster hovering over her. She yelped, eyes going wide as she scooted back quickly but was only able to put an inch or two between herself and it before she bumped up against the man's fingers, now curled a little around her like a wall. Her full attention was fixed on the strange creature, which just tilted its head and watched her curiously with pale round eyes. She almost didn't notice the jostling of the human standing and starting to walk, too focused on what she saw as the greater threat to have much thought to spare.

 

**“Do you have a name? Am V, and this is Eddie.”**

 

The question took a few seconds to register, but when it did she shifted upright with a jolt, blinking in surprise.

 

“Ah- my, um, I'm- I'm Ria.” She replied, her fingers worrying the hem of her shirt nervously. A sudden feeling of discomfort radiated from her wrist and she glanced down, poking at it and wincing as a clear strain made itself known. Thin black tendrils appeared out of the edges of her vision and carefully curled around her arm, making her gasp as she snapped her head up to look at V, who was now focused on her wrist.

 

**“Didn't mean to hurt, not supposed to hurt people. Only bad people, Eddie said. Little nibble not bad.”** They seemed to be talking to themself, but she wasn't really sure. Add that to a long list of the day's confusion. She flinched as they gently prodded at her wrist, her skin crawling at the unsettling feel of their touch. Not warm or cool, just there, like water but with a definite shape. Thoroughly weird.

 

“Hey, Ria- you hungry, kid? I, um, I noticed you didn't seem to have much, and we have plenty of food—anything in particular you like?”

 

The question completely shocked her, leaving her blinking and doubting she'd heard right. Humans didn't just  _ give _ food to borrowers, anyone who got seen was either captured or killed. This wasn't how it worked.

 

She didn't even realize she was crying until V brushed a tendril across her cheek, looking as concerned as a weird snake-thing could.

 

**“Don't be sad, no crying. Don't like crying—no more crying, little nibble.”**

 

Sniffling, she scrubbed roughly at her eyes with her sleeve until they were dry before shakily speaking.

 

“I- I don't underst- _ stand _ , this- this isn't- yer not s’posed ta be seen  _ ever _ , n’if you are humans'll- 'll put'cha in a jar or- r’ _ squish _ ya, I- I dunno but y’never come back. Nobody comes back. An- an- they don't- don’  _ help _ borrowers, not ever, jus’ don't happen-” A lump lodged in her throat again, preventing her from anything more than a soft keening sound. And if that wasn't enough, she was crying again.

 

If she wasn't so overwhelmed she'd be ashamed of crying in front of other people—that was for  _ babies _ , she was old enough to borrow on her own and had been doing fine all alone for  _ years _ . But nothing made sense, all the rules and stories said being seen was the worst possible thing that could ever happen—the only thing more terrible than that was if humans found out about the colonies, that there wasn't just one but  _ dozens _ of borrowers.

 

Though it wasn't like anyone else would care if she died. She hadn't seen any of the others since before her parents disappeared, the trip down several floors was too long and dangerous to take alone, so she was stuck on the top floor, watching as all the humans moved away until only the lonely man— _ Eddie _ —was left.

 

“Whoa, hey, calm down. You don't need to cry, it's okay—we're not gonna hurt you or anything, we just want to help. No strings attached.”

 

A gentle touch settled on her back, rubbing her spine in what was probably meant to be a reassuring manner, but she was so overwhelmed it just added to the mountain of confusion and distress.

 

_ Stop crying, you're acting like a stupid baby! _

 

Strangely, it felt like something was smoothing out the tangled mess of emotions she was feeling. At some point, without her noticing, V had curled around her with their head resting in her lap, purring—and she was now sitting on the counter. She wanted to be scared, felt like she should be, but she just…  _ wasn't _ .

 

**“No crying. Crying isn't good, don't need to cry. Here!”** And, bizarrely, they pressed a tater-tot into her hands. She wasn't sure where it had come from, but it was warm and she'd never been able to have warm food.

 

With a small amount of hesitation she pulled off a chunk, sniffing it before taking a small bite. A quiet  _ oh _ escaped as she nibbled, but by then she'd realized how hungry she was. She ate quickly, holding it close as if she was afraid it would be snatched away from her.

 

She could feel the human's eyes on her, but didn't look up at him—she wasn't sure if it was stubbornness or fear. But once she'd eaten her fill she didn't have an excuse anymore, and so she meekly glanced up at him, uncertainty clear in her posture.

 

“C-can I please have- have my bag back?” The girl mumbled, voice barely louder than a whisper.

 

“Oh. Oh! Yeah, sure, here you go.”

 

She flinched at the massive hand moving towards her, but forced herself not to run. As soon as she could, she grabbed her satchel, holding it close and hurriedly checking over the contents. Once satisfied that everything was there and in good condition—except for her hook, she didn't see it anywhere on the counter and wasn't sure what had happened to it—she looked up again.

 

Eddie almost looked like he was having a conversation, but he wasn't saying anything. He flicked his gaze towards her, making her shrink away, before seeming to stare off at nothing and nodding.

 

Ria whimpered involuntarily when he reached out to one of the cabinets, shadow looming ominously over her like a grim reminder of her situation. He'd been nice to her so far, but that would change eventually, she knew it—humans never let borrowers go after catching them. If the human didn't just kill them outright, they'd be kept as a pet or put in a jar to poke at and examine, just a curiosity to stare at and study.

 

“Hey, kiddo—you were after this in the first place, so here you go. Free of charge.”

 

She blinked in surprise, staring at the chocolate bar in front of her as if she expected it to disappear. It was smaller than the candies she'd seen earlier and rectangular—it could just fit in her bag, which would be much easier to carry.

 

“I- I don't… What?”

 

He laughed gently, setting the precious treat down on the counter in front of her.

 

“It's for you. I can't imagine how hard you've got it, if you need help or anything you can just ask us. Or if you'd rather, we could just forget we ever caught you. If you want.”

 

Looking up from where she'd been tucking the chocolate into her bag, she blinked owlishly at the man, his words slow to register in her mind. Once they did, though, her eyes widened in shock.

 

“I- you- you're just letting me go? But-”

 

“Yeah. We don't go around kidnapping kids or hurting innocent people, we're not gonna keep you here if you don't wanna be here. You're free to go, kid.” He must have noticed her lingering glance at the vent, because he laid his hand on the counter in front of her. “Need a lift?”

 

It felt like her heart had moved from its proper place, settling into her throat and making it difficult to breathe. Her knees were shaky as she stared at the hand, trembling and lock-limbed with what she considered a very reasonable fear. Being scooped up and carried around was one thing, but to willingly step into a human's grasp?

 

An abrupt push from behind sent her stumbling forwards, half-turning to see V once more nudging her onwards until she almost collapsed against Eddie's palm.

 

**“Not going to hurt our little nibble. Only hurt bad people, to protect innocents. Heroes!”** They chirped, before turning their attention to the leftover parts of the tater tot. It was gone quickly, and she was too surprised to notice them licking crumbs off her fingers at first.

 

“H-hey! Don't- don't  _ do _ that, s’gross. Don't like it.”

 

**“Little nibble scares easy. Is just like kisses.”** With that strange statement they licked her cheek, just barely brushing her with the tip of their tongue as they made an exaggerated  _ 'mwah!’ _ noise.  **“Tasty.”**

 

“Alright, V, leave her alone. We should let her get back to her business.” Eddie chuckled quietly, holding his hand up next to the vent. Ria scrambled off quickly, hurrying back out of reach behind the vent, but she didn't run off just yet.

 

“I- um, uh- th-thanks for the food bye.” She rushed, before turning tail and fleeing into the darkness, leaving the odd pair behind.

 

She was nearly back home before the adrenaline rush faded, leaving her shaky and forcing her to sit down for a moment to catch her breath. The events of the night seemed impossible—she'd run into a monster which threatened to eat her (and possibly attempted to? she couldn't remember much, just darkness and a weird numb feeling), encountered a human, was given food and then let go. Nothing made sense.

 

Peek found her there a few minutes later, sitting in the duct running her hands across her body as if to be sure she was still intact. The mouse sniffed at her, doing her own check to ensure the safety of her adopted pup, before leading the girl back home.

 

It was a good while before Ria went out again, and she still avoided the apartment. Peek went with her everywhere, never leaving her side for more than a moment. She did her best to forget, but sometimes she still woke up sweating in the night, struggling against a nonexistent enemy.


End file.
